Jay Gruden: If we get Kirk Cousins for one year, it’s one year

Posted by Charean Williams on January 23, 2018, 9:47 PM EDT

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Washington coach Jay Gruden is ready to coach Kirk Cousins on the franchise tag again if that’s the way it plays out.

“Whatever happens, happens. We’re going to coach whoever is in the building, and if we get [Cousins] for a one-year, it’s a one year,” Gruden told JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington. “We’ll do the best we can with it.”

With Cousins having played on the tag the past two years, it would cost Washington $34 million in 2018 to tag him again. As Washington heads into the offseason not knowing who its quarterback is in 2018, Gruden wants long-term clarity as much as Cousins does.

“It seems like we just keep pushing this thing off and off and off, and eventually both sides are going to have to make a decision,” Gruden said. “Hopefully that will be soon, but if not, we will see what happens.”

Gruden, though, said there is no tension with his quarterback, saying, “No. I’m tired of the questions about the one-year deal.”

“It seems like we just keep pushing this thing off and off and off, and eventually both sides are going to have to make a decision,” Gruden said. “Hopefully that will be soon, but if not, we will see what happens.”

No the ones pushing this off is the Redskins management not wanting to offer a market long term contract, and Kirk Cousins having the belief in himself to not sign long term until given the right deal.

But Cap isn’t done yet either…after this season he’ll be a free agent and some team who didn’t learn their lesson for the past 3 years will go ahead and pay Kirk a deal worth more than any player in NFL History…

Captain Kirk…the only player in NFL History who’s value increased despite the fact the quality of his play decreased…

It’s not like its grudens money. You want cousins to sign a deal, threaten the franchise tag and tell him that the starting right and left tackles will be practice squad players–this should change the calculation and give injury risk more weight.

Washington put themselves in this predicament and Cousins has all the leverage. With the cap projected to go up significantly, supply and demand for solid QBs, and free agency leverage, Cousins will win either way.

I feel like jay is actually a really good coach, he just is stuck with really poor management and ownership. His roster was injured and the WR core is pretty bad but they still beat denver and went in to seattle and won. Snyder should sell the team

Cousins beat the system and now has earned the right at that $34 million or free agency status. Washington could have avoided all of this three years ago and instead is in a position to have paid him $78 million over years and be in a position to lose him in 2019.

I like Kirk Cousins, but Cousins is toying with the Redskins. He’s gambline on himself and winning much like Darrell Revis did for many years. The Redskins have tried to sign him to a long term contract, but he’s the one who wouldn’t commit. Cousins seems less interested in winning a Super Bowl than he is in building his own fortune. The Redskins need to move on and get a quarterback who they can build around. Sometimes you need to take a step backwards before moving forward. Things can happen pretty quick in the NFL. Look at the Eagles. Two years ago Chip Kelly ran that franchise into the ground and now they’re in the Superbowl! Not sure if the Skins have the front office to turn it around as fast as the Eagles, but they’re just treading water right now.

arwiv says:
January 23, 2018 at 9:57 pm
Kirk is financially smart, but he is also completely about himself. As a Giants fan we own him already so who cares…..but if I were a skins fan Id look to move on from Mr. One-Way.

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When was this? Other than some good draft picks the Giants havent owned anything in a while now.

People will argue about Kirk until they are blue in the face. But they made him bet on himself twice and the team lost that bet. I don’t know how anyone can begrudge him from finding a willing employer on the free labor market. If I’m Kirk I’d say, “I give you my word of honor as a pastor’s kid that if Bruce Allen and Daniel Snyder (with their vast football expertise) identify a free agent they can’t get because of my contract — my door will be open for restructuring conversations. One caveat, you tell the public who these awesome free agents are that you can’t get.”

His numbers dropped because they let his 2 best weapons leave, and his best weapon, _might_ be the best receiving TE in the game, is oft-injured. Cousins is just outside the top 5 in the QB position IMO, and can take the team to the playoffs on a consistent basis if they step up the surrounding cast. Is he Drew Brees or Tom Brady? No, but if they dont pay him like that he is going to walk, so they might as well get it done sooner than later.

arwiv says:
January 23, 2018 at 9:57 pm
Kirk is financially smart, but he is also completely about himself. As a Giants fan we own him already so who cares…..but if I were a skins fan Id look to move on from Mr. One-Way.
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You’re team is 5-3 against him. Hardly “owning”, more like 1 game above 500.

Honestly, I don’t think there is a QB in the league worth 34 million for one year.
Not even Brady…

That seriously is bordering on handicapping your entire team.
I realize the cap rises every season… but geez…
When you tie up THAT much money in 1 guy… he better be able to play some D, maybe block a little bit… ya know?

For God’s sake. Enough is Enough! I am a Redskins fan since 1981. Where are those glory years of 80’s. Redskins management suck. This guy is not even worth 24M let alone 34M or a long term deal. He is so selfish and all about himself. His records for three years show he can only win you 8 games, even when he had better wide outs. If a team like Cleveland or NYJ who have not even won that many games want to pay him more, let them. He is only a good QB at best. Remember, the Redskins won 3 SB with 3 different QBs that none of them are Hall of Fame players. Football is a team game, you need more than just a QB to win. It is not tennis. Looking for a day that I see or hear that the number 8 is gone.

pinebird1 says:
January 24, 2018 at 8:16 am
arwiv says:
January 23, 2018 at 9:57 pm
Kirk is financially smart, but he is also completely about himself. As a Giants fan we own him already so who cares…..but if I were a skins fan Id look to move on from Mr. One-Way.

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When was this? Other than some good draft picks the Giants havent owned anything in a while now.
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Obviously you have erased the tape of the last two season ending games and performances of Kirk Cousins against the GIANTS!!! Kirk Cousins was a disaster and Rodgers-Cromartie just sat and waited for Kirk Cousins infamous untimely bad decisions. Have you already forgotten that disgrace of a game just a few short weeks ago? That is all he is talking about. And oh, it does seem to be true as Cousins is 1-5 in the division this year.

kneedragr says:
January 24, 2018 at 8:48 am
His numbers dropped because they let his 2 best weapons leave, and his best weapon, _might_ be the best receiving TE in the game, is oft-injured. Cousins is just outside the top 5 in the QB position IMO, and can take the team to the playoffs on a consistent basis if they step up the surrounding cast. Is he Drew Brees or Tom Brady? No, but if they dont pay him like that he is going to walk, so they might as well get it done sooner than later.
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This is why the Redskins are so mediocre and the fans so desperate and full of excuses. I mean, the formula for NOT winning the Super Bowl is a newly paid top QB contract OR ANYTHING CLOSE!!! Tom Brady cap hit $14 mill. The Pats have the exact same salary cap as the skins. That DIFFERENCE is USED WISELY TO RETAIN SOLID PLAYERS. You see the team goal is ALWAYS the SB!!! When KC salary is about the same AS ALL 4 OF THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP QB’s TOGETHER-This should be CODE RED to not get stuck with this strangle hold. And all the Kirk Cousin minions have the exact same response to”moving on” THEY GO INTO THEIR full list of EXCUSES for losing and excuse KC is the first. The players you let go could have been retained if Cousins was paid right.